Tax on soft drinks to combat obesity

A solution has been proposed to begin to quell the obesity epidemic in the United States. No, it is not more education or more exercise. Instead, it will come in the form of a tax.

A New York health official is calling for sugary sodas and sports drinks to be taxed at one cent per ounce. It is widely believed that taxing sugary drinks will greatly reduce the amount consumers drink each year. This proposal follows the same line as the cigarette tax and is, in many ways, just as unpopular.

Opposition comes from consumers, legislatures and the American Beverage Association. Although, they say, obesity is a big problem and an epidemic, the cure is not to single out sugary drink distributors to combat it. They also noted that although soda sales have been slowly declining of late, obesity rates continue to rise at an alarming rate. Therefore, sugary drinks cannot be to blame.

Of course, the other major reason for such a proposal is that supporters believe it will be the source of some major revenue that is badly needed in this time of recession.

Experts believe soft drinks are one of the main reasons why childhood obesity is on the rise. Since the 1990s, it has been found that children drink more soft drinks than milk or water in their daily lives. It is believed that a tax on sugary drinks will make people think twice before buying at the supermarket.